From the moment Luka Doncic arrived in the NBA, he set a high standard for himself and raised people’s expectations significantly. And six years into his career, at the age of 25, Luka is ready to appear in his 2nd Western Conference Finals. However, despite going through the Clippers’ super team and the top-seeded OKC Thunder to get to this stage, veteran analyst Chris Broussard believes Luka has a lot more to prove that he’s taken “another step”.

Making an appearance on First Things First, Broussard discussed Luka’s playoff journey. It was then compared to other stars of his age. Broussard did not shy away from expressing his love for Luka and revealed that he was one of the four voters to pick the Slovenian Sensation for MVP. However, he claimed, “I don’t think he’s proven anything… We expect a lot from Luka.” Then, dissecting Luka’s run to the West Finals, the analyst reminded everyone that the Mavs beat the Clippers while their best player, Kawhi Leonard, was injured.

And in the semis, Luka had a comparatively easy challenge facing the young and inexperienced OKC Thunder. Of course, they were the best team in the West all season. However, they were also the youngest team to bag the Number 1 seed, with an average age of 23.92! Broussard claimed that many already picked Luka and Kyrie to come out victorious over OKC. He then revealed what Luka needed to do to impress him, “For him to really prove something to me, this year… it’s gonna have to be win the Finals.”

Has Luka’s early stardom cursed his legacy?

While 5 All-Star selections and 4 first-team All-NBA selections, likely to become five this year, might be enough for many players to solidify their legacy, that somehow has not been the case for Luka. Arguably suffering from ‘voter’s fatigue’ before even winning MVP once, the media and fans demand something huge from Luka to consider him among NBA greats. Even Broussard believes that now that the Mavs will need to get the better of a young Wolves squad, and then win the NBA Finals too.

Moreover, the analyst compared Luka’s accomplishments to Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker, at the same age. “Yeah, he’s young. But Jayson Tatum had been to four Eastern Conference Finals already as the best player when he was 24 years old.” Being only one year older than Luka, Tatum has been the Celtics’ leader for 7 years and even led them to the NBA Finals two years ago. And this year, he is back in the East Finals, arguably with the best team he has ever had. Meanwhile, Luka has only been as far as two Conference Finals.

Similarly, Broussard reminded everyone that Devin Booker also led his team to the Finals at 24. So, for Luka to reach the same standard as his peers in the eyes of Broussard, he needs to not only reach the Finals but win it.

Do you agree?